What are you listening to?

[Admiral Yi]

Yes, outstanding.

[Josquius]

Recorded a couple of old 'Top of the Pops' earlier, watching them, there's some good singles amid some real dross, but the real stand out was:

Donna Summers - 'I Feed Love'

I can't remember it's impact at the time, but it sounds near revolutionary compared with the other singles on the programme.

Classic top of the pops always great for those "man. Modern music is so shit. Things were so much better in xxxx" moments.

That is still broadly true... But make a compilation of top tracks from the 10s (too early to say for the 20s but it looks potentially worse...I don't think I've encountered any good bands formed this decade yet) and any random week from the musically better decades before will be an absolute joke.
So much hilarious long forgotten dross showing up at the top of the charts.

[PDH]

Everything was better in the olden days.  Except when it wasn't.

[Savonarola]

If you're a fan of The Smiths, check this out:

Rick Astley with Blossoms perform The Smiths- Glastonbury Festival, Worthy Farm, Pilton, UK (Jun 24, 2023 / AUDIO)

(Yes, that Rick Astley).  Astley's register isn't as high as Morrisey, so he can't do the falsettos as well, and he doesn't have that whiny quality that Morrisey does (whether or not those are bad things, I'll leave up to you); but otherwise it's remarkably well done.

(Oh, and for the record, I totally win if John Keats and William Butler Yeats are on my side and you only have Oscar Wilde.)

[Admiral Yi]

https://www.google.com/search?channel=fenc&client=firefox-b-1-d&q=beach+boys+1980+national+mall#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:4cfff750,vid:yBVRz4RC4ns,st:0

@Sav on a rolla: Many moons ago you asked who was in the band when I caught Los Beach Boys on the Mall in 82.  This ran across my feed and I figure it has to be the same line up.  Brian looks on his last legs.  I was sitting about 1/3 the way from the Washington Monument to the stage, which was toward the west.

[frunk]

If you're a fan of The Smiths, check this out:

Rick Astley with Blossoms perform The Smiths- Glastonbury Festival, Worthy Farm, Pilton, UK (Jun 24, 2023 / AUDIO)

(Yes, that Rick Astley).  Astley's register isn't as high as Morrisey, so he can't do the falsettos as well, and he doesn't have that whiny quality that Morrisey does (whether or not those are bad things, I'll leave up to you); but otherwise it's remarkably well done.

(Oh, and for the record, I totally win if John Keats and William Butler Yeats are on my side and you only have Oscar Wilde.)

Nice.  Pretty faithful to the original.  For more off the wall covers I've long liked Janice Whaley's The Smiths Project, which is a cappella versions of every single Smiths song.

[Josephus]

So I said I wouldn't buy Roger's take on his old album, but I'm listening to the Dark Side of the Moon redux.

[Admiral Yi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAM1k9vEVqg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC4S13jcki4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27dfxVnI3rA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZHfIMZm2uo

4 versions of Summertime Blues.  Original by Eddie Cochran, The Who, T Rex, Brian Seltzer.

@Joan, something that's been on my mind for a while.  Back a stretch Josephus and I were arguing about The Who's secret weapon.  He said Moon's frenetic drumwork, I said Entwhistle's densely layered bass.  You come barging in and said it was Townsend's power chords.  That wasn't the secret weapon; that was their headliner, their top bill, their money maker.

[Josephus]

Yi...here's one more for you:

Summertime Blues by Rush

https://youtu.be/aOtbUAzoEfU?si=AxyurOIPPnjiSlCZ&t=69

[The Minsky Moment]

@Joan, something that's been on my mind for a while.  Back a stretch Josephus and I were arguing about The Who's secret weapon.  He said Moon's frenetic drumwork, I said Entwhistle's densely layered bass.  You come barging in and said it was Townsend's power chords.  That wasn't the secret weapon; that was their headliner, their top bill, their money maker.

That's a fair point.  In which case, I would take your side.  Sloppy drumming is never value added in a rock band.

[The Minsky Moment]

As long as I'm here:

Oscar Peterson, London Concert (1978)

First track is an up-tempo take on "It's a Wonderful World", with Oscar showing off all his virtuosic tricks.  And I think, Damn! Why don't I listen to more Oscar Peterson??

Second track is "People," much of it played schmaltzy a la Streisand.  And I think:  Oh yeah, that's why I don't listen to more Oscar Peterson.

I'll say this - when he is on and the material matches the man, there are few that could match him.

[mongers]

Well I took a listen to 'Who's Next' and am not sure where I stand on the issue, the three musicians sound in balance and together, though one could say this is probably Moon's most together and controlled performance on a studio album.


Also just giving The Cult's 'Sonic Temple' a listen, what a fine album.   

And:
Talking Heads 'Stop Making Sense'
The Beloved 'Happiness'
Iron Maiden 'The Number of the Beast'
Tracey Chapman 'Tracey Chapman '
Dire Straits  'Love Over Gold'
Shakira 'Donde Estan Los Ladrones'
Kate Bush 'The Kick Inside'

[Savonarola]

Chick Corea - Light as a Feather (1973)

There's still a lot of Samba influence on this; though it's much funkier than João Gilberto (there are even funky flute solos  .)  Flora Purim does a fine job on the vocal tracks but, in my opinion, the wildest ride is the closing track "Spain."

[The Minsky Moment]

Chick Corea - Light as a Feather (1973)

There's still a lot of Samba influence on this; though it's much funkier than João Gilberto

Where Stanley Clarke goes, funkiness follows.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpCFs1q0tgw

[Savonarola]

Gram Parsons - GP (1973)

Parsons' first solo album (and only one released during his lifetime); this is also Emmylou Harris's breakthrough album.  The album isn't as consciously Merle Haggard as "Sweethearts of the Rodeo" or Louvin Brothers as "Gilded Palace of Sin," he seems to be finding his own voice a bit more here.  It's not as revolutionary as his previous albums, though, other acts had started catching up (notably The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band who's "Will the Circle" was released the previous year) and lyrically there's some misses here (notably "The New Soft Shoe.")  Still a good album, especially the Harris-Parsons duets.